Anyone who remembers the heavyweight fights in the General Assembly in recent years over passage of Indiana's right-to-work law might be surprised to hear the bill's sponsor and the leader of the state's largest coalition of unions agree on something.

"If you take care of your members, if you provide service to the members, they won't leave the union," said Brett Voorhies, president of the Indiana State AFL-CIO.

"Right to work does not prevent anyone from joining the union," said Rep. Jerry Torr, R-Carmel. "If the unions provide a service to their members and keep them employed, then they'll keep their members."

Beyond this, though, there is little agreement between these two and the coalitions they represent. As the nation observes Labor Day, the state of organized labor is best described as stable in the wake of right to work, which removed unions' ability to demand fees from non-members in the same workplace.

"Some unions have taken a hit, but we haven't seen a huge hit," said Voorhies, who oversees unions with members in 800 locals. "The biggest challenge is with younger workers. We have to educate the younger workers about what they get for their dues.

"But we're surviving just fine," he added. "We're gaining new membership every day."

At one point unions represented nearly 30 percent of the state's workforce, Voorhies said. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which has tracked union membership since 1989, count that year as the high point for Indiana at 21 percent of the workforce.

Union membership was 11.3 percent in 2011, the year before right to work became law. It tumbled to 9.1 percent the next year before rebounding to 9.3 percent in 2013, or 249,000 workers.

The percentage of so-called free riders, people who are represented by a union but themselves are not a member, has remained about the same since 2004, at about 1 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Union membership has declined slightly across the country since 2009 and was just under 12 percent last year. More than half of the nation's union members live in just seven states: California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey and Ohio.

"We're seeing people are actually starting to go to unions because they want us to negotiate better wages," Voorhies said, listing organizing efforts that include the Nestle plant in Anderson. "People are tired of working harder and harder every day to make less and less money."

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. does not pursue any jobs deal that does not pay at least the state's average wage, Torr noted, adding he's not against union membership.

"I believe in a person's right to join a union as I believe in their right not to," Torr said. "Right to work does not prevent anyone from joining a union."

The Indiana Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case Sept. 4 from Lake County that found the right-to-work law unconstitutional. Another Lake County judge ruled the law unconstitutional in July. Both decisions hinge on the "particular services" clause of the state Constitution, which states "no person's particular services shall be demanded without just compensation."

The question before the Supreme Court, then, is whether the constitutional mandate is limited to people engaged in work for the state or whether it includes organizations such as unions that represent people who don't pay dues, Torr said.

Voorhies noted recent changes in state laws have made it more difficult to organize, a trend that's not likely to abate given the fact Republicans have quorum-proof majorities in the General Assembly. Unions were integral to the Democrats' ability to win four governor's races and a majority in the state House of Representatives in the 1980s and 1990s.

The challenge for Voorhies and others in the union movement is to rekindle those electoral efforts, and it means winning the hearts and minds of more Hoosiers.

"The perception is we're bad people, but that's not the case," Voorhies said. "We take care of people."

The upcoming election represents an opportunity to chip away at the large Republican majorities, he added, and have a greater voice in the General Assembly. The challenge is big especially since it is likely lawmakers will consider changes to laws governing the common construction wage that would reduce the hourly pay for workers.

"I'm optimistic about the legislative session," he said. "It's more important than ever to educate the public on what we do — we deliver their mail, pick up their trash, pave their streets and teach their children and many other things — to gain their support."

All of this means Voorhies won't be home much this weekend. Instead he will be traveling the state to rally the troops on the holiday set aside to recognize people's labor.

John Ketzenberger is president of the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization to research state budget and tax issues. Email him at jketzenberger@indianafiscal.org. Follow him on Twitter: @JohnKetz.